5,005

A chill crept up Tang Jingdan’s spine and reached the top of her head. Suddenly, a thought struck her: Even if she were injured—or even if she died—given the power of the Meng family, surely they could handle it, right?

At the thought, Tang Jingdan instinctively took several steps back as if she had seen a ghost.

“Y-You, don’t come closer! Stay away from me!”

Just then, the gym teacher finally arrived, albeit late.

On the playground, one side held Tang Jingdan, her face full of panic, accompanied by a few girls from the international class trying to comfort her.

On the other side stood Yu Linghuan, Meng Xin, and Shen Ying.

Two clearly divided groups with other students gathered around, watching.

Seeing this scene, the gym teacher felt her head ache. She had only stepped away to the office for ten minutes to fill out a form requested by the administration, thinking nothing serious would happen in such a short time.

Who would have known that trouble would break out in less than five minutes?

Wiping the sweat from her brow, the gym teacher looked at Shen Ying, the class monitor of Senior Three Class One.

As the monitor of a key senior class, Shen Ying was diligent and responsible, trusted by the teachers. It made perfect sense for the gym teacher to ask her what had happened.

All eyes turned to Shen Ying. Clearing her throat, she said, “Teacher, it’s nothing serious. Just now during the game, both Meng Xin and Tang Jingdan accidentally got hit in the upper body by the dodgeball.”

She paused, then added, “Everyone saw it.”

The gym teacher responded with a hum and asked, “Meng Xin, Tang Jingdan, is that true?”

Tang Jingdan moved her lips, as if wanting to say something, but when she saw Yu Linghuan and Meng Xin opposite her, she swallowed her words.

Whether it was Yu Linghuan’s cold gaze or recalling Meng Xin’s chilling phrase, “I can afford to pay any amount,” Tang Jingdan bit her lip and reluctantly said, “...Yes.”

Meng Xin nodded in agreement.

The gym teacher breathed a silent sigh of relief. It seemed nothing serious had happened, so her monthly performance review was safe.

As for the tense atmosphere on site, it was just some friction among students, normal at this age, nothing worth digging into.

The gym teacher asked if either Meng Xin or Tang Jingdan needed to visit the infirmary. They both declined, so she told everyone to rest for a few minutes before continuing activities.

Yu Linghuan accompanied Meng Xin to the shade to get water.

Tang Jingdan was led by another girl from the international class to a cooler spot, far away from Yu Linghuan.

Yu Linghuan twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Meng Xin.

“Thank you,” Meng Xin said, taking a sip before adding, “And… thank you for backing me up earlier.”

Yu Linghuan’s tone was indifferent, as if it was no big deal: “There’s nothing to thank me for.”

Meng Xin smiled instead.

Puzzled, Yu Linghuan looked at the girl clutching the bottle and grinning foolishly: “What are you smiling at?”

Meng Xin shook her head. “Nothing. I just feel happy because you’ve become the Yu Linghuan I know again.”

She smiled and offered the bottle back: “Do you want to drink?”

Yu Linghuan took the water with a complicated expression: “Yes.”

During the summer vacation, influenced by the plot, she had developed strong negative feelings toward Meng Xin.

But undeniably, those feelings were not baseless; the plot only magnified the fears she already harbored within.

She was afraid Meng Xin would look down on her ordinary family background, afraid she would no longer deserve to be her friend, afraid she would become a clown in everyone’s eyes—someone who presumptuously tried to befriend a wealthy heiress.

These feelings were real.

Yet, when the awakening system informed her that Meng Xin might lose everything—even her life—

Yu Linghuan realized that all those worries suddenly seemed insignificant.

Meng Xin was her closest friend, her dearest confidante; that was what truly mattered.

She could never stand by and watch her best friend lose everything, let alone add insult to injury.

She simply couldn’t.

Having confirmed her resolve, Yu Linghuan spoke earnestly: “Meng Xin.”

Meng Xin blinked. “What is it?”

Yu Linghuan said solemnly, “You’re my best friend.”

Meng Xin was momentarily stunned, then smiled with bright eyes: “You’re my best friend too.”

Yu Linghuan continued, “So if you ever feel wronged, you must tell me.”

Meng Xin was slightly taken aback.

After a moment, she smiled again: “How could that be? I’m Meng Xin of the Meng family now. Who would dare to wrong me?”

Yu Linghuan studied Meng Xin.

She knew her too well to miss the slightest hint of strain in her expression.

Moreover, the novel clearly portrayed the Meng family’s favoritism toward Meng Mingzhu.

But Yu Linghuan understood that Meng Xin chose not to speak up just to keep her from worrying.

Their personalities were like opposite ends of a spectrum—one was known for being hard to provoke, the other spoke softly—yet sometimes they were remarkably alike: both stubborn to a fault.

Since Meng Xin had decided to keep silent, Yu Linghuan stopped pressing and quietly took a few more sips of water.

Whatever happened, she would never allow Meng Xin to lose everything to Meng Mingzhu—never.

“By the way,” Yu Linghuan suddenly remembered, “what did the homeroom teacher talk to you about at noon?”

Meng Xin replied, “She asked if I wanted to transfer to the international class. Probably because my father has always wanted me to study abroad for university, she tried to persuade me to switch classes.”

Yu Linghuan’s gaze flickered.

She recalled that in the novel’s plot, Meng Xin did indeed transfer to International Class C, joining Meng Mingzhu and the male lead Sheng Han, where the three became embroiled in a messy love triangle.

After high school, all three went abroad for further studies, continuing their entanglements for years.

As the heroine of a tragic romance, Meng Xin suffered much after transferring, including but not limited to being looked down upon, bullied, and slandered by classmates.

Even if the plot unfolded as written, Yu Linghuan, as Meng Xin’s best friend, was not eager for her to switch to the international class.

After all, Yu Linghuan never believed that being with Sheng Han was a happy ending for Meng Xin.

Meng Xin was bullied to the point of losing the use of one hand because of him, and even if they married in the end, what kind of life was that?

Besides, Meng Mingzhu was no longer the same as before; she was now bound to the soul of another world’s transmigration system.

If Meng Xin transferred, things would only get tougher than in the novel.

And with Meng Xin’s grades, staying in the college entrance exam class would guarantee admission to one of the country’s top universities, provided she performed normally.

“So...” Yu Linghuan asked Meng Xin, “how did you respond to the homeroom teacher?”

Though she hoped Meng Xin wouldn’t transfer, she still needed to hear Meng Xin’s thoughts before deciding whether or how to persuade her otherwise.

Meng Xin said, “I told the homeroom teacher I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay in Senior Three Class One.”

Yu Linghuan was somewhat surprised: “Why? I thought... you’d at least consider it.”

In the novel, Meng Xin transferred after the first monthly exam in early October.

Yu Linghuan assumed Meng Xin must have considered transferring herself; otherwise, the Meng family wouldn’t have pushed so hard.

Meng Xin smiled: “Don’t you remember? What’s my dream school?”

Yu Linghuan blinked.

The two girls looked at each other and spoke in unison, “Kyoto University Medical School.”

They both laughed afterward.

Before coming to Beicheng for school, Meng Xin lived in a nearby small town, raised by her grandmother.

Getting into Kyoto University’s medical school and becoming a doctor had always been Meng Xin’s dream and her grandmother’s hope for her.

Yu Linghuan had heard Meng Xin say this countless times; she could never forget her dream.

Just as Meng Xin would never forget hers.

After laughing, Meng Xin said, “Actually, when my father first mentioned transferring me, I was a little hesitant.”

Yu Linghuan asked, “Why?”

Meng Xin lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling gently: “I thought... if you really never want to see me again, if seeing me annoys you, then transferring to the international class might be better. At least then, you’d be happier.”

“But now it’s better,” Meng Xin raised her head and smiled softly. “We’re still best friends, so I don’t need to switch classes.”

Yu Linghuan was completely stunned.

The novel barely touched on the reason for Meng Xin’s decision to transfer; it was simply natural for the heroine to be in the same class as the male lead—no explanation needed.

Yu Linghuan had never imagined that the reason would be herself.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling in her nose.

“Mm,” Yu Linghuan repeated slowly, “best friends.”

…

After a few minutes' rest, the girls from both classes resumed their activities.

The remaining time passed without incident under the teacher’s watchful eye.

The forty-minute PE class ended, and everyone paired up to head back to the academic building.

Yu Linghuan found Meng Xin, and the two took their bags, ready to leave, when a figure blocked their way.

“You two,” the newcomer said arrogantly, “don’t think I was scared of you earlier. I’m just friends with Mingzhu and didn’t want things to get ugly.”

Yu Linghuan raised her head and met Tang Jingdan’s disdainful gaze.

Most of the class period had passed, and Tang Jingdan had finally shaken off her frightened state.

Calm now, she regretted being so easily intimidated.

The Meng family was powerful, but Meng Mingzhu was the heiress and even more favored than Meng Xin!

With Meng Mingzhu backing her, she shouldn’t have been so easily scared off by Meng Xin and that Yu Linghuan at her side.

And the thought of the Meng family silencing her was just a baseless panic.

This was a society ruled by law; the Meng family wouldn’t just eliminate someone over such a trivial matter.

So after class, Tang Jingdan planned to come back and reclaim her ground.

After hesitating for a moment, she chose to pick on the softer target.

Casting a hostile glance at Yu Linghuan, she then turned her gaze to the girl beside her.

“Meng Xin,” Tang Jingdan snorted coldly, “Mingzhu and I have been friends for many years. Today in class, you had someone gang up on me. I’ll tell Mingzhu about it. If this ruins your sisterly relationship and upsets Uncle Meng, you can think about the consequences.”

She deliberately paused, awaiting the look of panic she expected to see on Meng Xin’s face.

But Meng Xin merely watched her quietly, showing no fear.

Frowning, Tang Jingdan pressed on, “However, if you sincerely apologize now, I might consider not telling Mingzhu.”

Meng Xin’s expression remained calm: “You hit me first.”

Her voice was steady, but perhaps because of its gentle tone, the words lacked force.

This only made Tang Jingdan more aggressive: “I told you it wasn’t on purpose! But she—she deliberately threw the ball at me!”

Meng Xin retorted, “That’s because—”

Yu Linghuan interrupted, stepping forward: “Yes, I did it on purpose.”

Though they were friends, Yu Linghuan inwardly thought Meng Xin’s arguing skills were far weaker than hers.

Ultimately, it was because Meng Xin was too kind, always trying to reason, and with such a gentle voice, it was hard to gain the upper hand in a quarrel.

Yu Linghuan couldn’t stand it.

She looked at Tang Jingdan impatiently: “So? If you don’t apologize, you’re going to tattle to Meng Mingzhu, right?”

Tang Jingdan sneered, “...Yes! What, you don’t believe me?”

Yu Linghuan pulled out her phone—she always carried it in case her mother needed to reach her urgently.

“Xin Xin,” Yu Linghuan asked, “do you remember Meng Mingzhu’s number? What is it?”

Meng Xin was slightly startled, perhaps not understanding the intention, but she recited a string of digits.

Since being accepted back into the Meng family, she had memorized several family members’ phone numbers for emergencies.

Yu Linghuan dialed the number as Meng Xin had said.

The swift and smooth operation left Tang Jingdan unaware of what was coming.

Until Yu Linghuan turned on speakerphone and shoved the phone rudely in front of Tang Jingdan’s face: “You wanted to tattle? Here, say it to her with me listening.”

Tang Jingdan was completely taken aback, instinctively shouting, “What are you doing! I—I’m not ready yet...”

On the other end, Meng Mingzhu’s puzzled voice came through the speaker: “Jingdan? You changed your number again? What did you say? It’s a bit noisy here, I didn’t catch that, say it again.”

The background noise lessened—the girl must have found a quieter spot.

Tang Jingdan hadn’t planned to call Meng Mingzhu to complain just yet.

She intended to find a private moment to dramatize how much risk she had taken and how much she had sacrificed for Mingzhu, playing the victim and emphasizing her contribution.

After all, coming from a far less privileged background, she needed some cunning to maintain a lasting friendship with Meng Mingzhu.

But now, Yu Linghuan’s move completely threw her off.

Tang Jingdan dared not hang up abruptly; since Mingzhu recognized her voice, upsetting the heiress would have serious consequences.

If she told Mingzhu that Yu Linghuan forced her into this call, it would make her look weak.

Meng Mingzhu hated fools most of all.

“M-Mingzhu,” Tang Jingdan stammered, “I’ll come find you in the classroom after school today. We can talk then. I’ll hang up first—”

“Wait!” Mingzhu’s tone was clearly annoyed through the speaker, “I haven’t told you to hang up yet. Why are you in such a hurry? Tell me, did you give Meng Xin a lesson during PE class like I asked?”

Tang Jingdan’s body stiffened. She instinctively tried to grab the phone to turn off the speaker.

But Yu Linghuan was quicker, knocking Tang Jingdan’s hand away and snatching the phone back.

“Meng Mingzhu,” Yu Linghuan said calmly.

There was a sudden silence on the other end.